Anton Strålman

[SingnBluesOnBroadway]

He won the puck battle in OT that led to Cally's goal.

Has played a very good game since Staal went down, one of the best stories of the year for this club.

Yep. He's one of the few Rangers that I can say has been better this year than last year. And I was dubious on him his summer. One of the best things you can say about him is the coach trusts him.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

He won the puck battle in OT that led to Cally's goal.

Has played a very good game since Staal went down, one of the best stories of the year for this club.

He was great last year as well. When we signed Woywitka and Stralman, nobody could have thought Stralman making a huge impact the way he did

 

[NJRangers35]

This guy is criminally underrated. I hate going on the main board and seeing Blue Jacket fans and Maple Leaf fans making comments about how the Rangers defense is not deep because they are icing Stralman on their bottom pair. He made one of the best defensive plays I have ever seen on that 2-1 play in the third period. I really hope he is not just a placeholder for McIlrath and he is here beyond next year. Great game from him tonight. Played great last postseason and is having another nice start.

 

[Riverdale]

He was the best Dman on the ice tonight and has been arguably our most consistent all season long.

So happy with him being a Ranger

 

[The Gloaming]

Lawman Stralman once again raising his game for the playoffs.

Once again, thank you Devils.

 

[Florida Ranger]

He plays with such poise and calmness. He plays a simple game all around. Perfect 5th/6th defenseman.

I loved how he lined up Ovechkin along the boards in period one of Game 3.

 

[Flavius]

This guy is criminally underrated. I hate going on the main board and seeing Blue Jacket fans and Maple Leaf fans making comments about how the Rangers defense is not deep because they are icing Stralman on their bottom pair. He made one of the best defensive plays I have ever seen on that 2-1 play in the third period. I really hope he is not just a placeholder for McIlrath and he is here beyond next year. Great game from him tonight. Played great last postseason and is having another nice start.

Agreed. I know i'm in the minority when I say this, but I liked him last year too. Thought he should've even been on the point for the PP earlier in the year before we got Moore.

 

[Punxrocknyc19*]

Agreed. I know i'm in the minority when I say this, but I liked him last year too. Thought he should've even been on the point for the PP earlier in the year before we got Moore.

he has always had the skills to be a solid dman. remember before he came to NYR, he has been on brutal teams.. hard to have confidence if your surrounded by a losing atmosphere. im still at why the Devils cut him...

 

[MetalGodAOD*]

Really glad we signed him for 2 years. Exactly what this team needed.

 

[ImIdaho]

He kept hitting Ovechkin. Even when he wasn't hitting him, he kept making Ovechkin lose the puck. All that and his other nice defensive and offensive plays; even though Girardi got us the PP goal, I still consider Stralman one of the stars of the game.

 

[Ola]

He was great last year as well. When we signed Woywitka and Stralman, nobody could have thought Stralman making a huge impact the way he did

Stralman had an excellent career in Europe before coming to the NHL. He was definitely even more highly regarded than say Oscar Lindberg. Strålman was one of the top Ds in the SEL and played really well in a couple (?) of WCHs.

It was not easy for him to come to Toronto. They had like 5-6 vet Ds (the likes of McCabe, Kaberle, Kubina, Gill) and was a mess on the ice. He had little or no chance at getting PP time and was in a bad environment in general.

Then he went to another team that was one of the worst in the league (and got to play alot) and did score 34 pts in 72 games which is really good (he was clearly the NR 1 D for his team in the NHL for a full year), but CBJ was of course a mess...

In the end, Strålman falls a little short of being able to run, and score on a, PP. He was able to do that in Europe, but not in the NHL. IF he could run a PP, he would be a NR 1 D on a bottom 15 team in this league, I believe.

He is definitely no project we picked out of nowhere who all of a sudden learned to play, BUT what we have done is been able to adjust him, and put him in a role, where it makes sense to carry a offensive index D who isn't expected to score. That is not easy and Torts deserves cred for it for sure.

 

[NYR Viper]

He is criminally underrated around the league. I hope the Rangers extend him this off-season.

 

[Trxjw]

I'm probably alone in this, but I think Stralman has been good, but not great in this series. He's made a handful of really questionable plays and his weak clearing attempts have kept us pinned in our zone quite a bit.

Again, overall he's been good, but not great. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Crease]

Stralman had a very nice Game 4. He was one of the very few players who actually elevated his game in the playoffs last year. He's a good one to have around, absolutely.

 

[SingnBluesOnBroadway]

I was dubious on him last year and had concerns about him being penciled into the lineup this season, but he's been terrific this year. One of the few Rangers who I think were better this year than last year.

 

[nyr2k2]

Stralsy has been a revelation this year. He had an overall good season for us last year, but he has really elevated his play this season. And been very good in the first four games.

 

[NYR Viper]

I'm probably alone in this, but I think Stralman has been good, but not great in this series. He's made a handful of really questionable plays and his weak clearing attempts have kept us pinned in our zone quite a bit.

Again, overall he's been good, but not great. Just my 2 cents.

I would agree. There are times he needs to be stronger on the puck. However, he should be a bottom pairing guy normally.

 

[Chaels Arms]

That play he made on the potential two-on-one along the boards was unbelievable. If he plays that anything less than perfectly it probably ends up in our net. For whatever reason Stralman just seems so relaxed in the playoffs. Did he rack up a lot of playoff experience playing in Europe?

 

[nyr2k2]

That play he made on the potential two-on-one along the boards was unbelievable. If he plays that anything less than perfectly it probably ends up in our net. For whatever reason Stralman just seems so relaxed in the playoffs. Did he rack up a lot of playoff experience playing in Europe?

Nope. Seven games in the SEL. Then six more in the AHL. Last year with us was his first extended run.

 

[NYR Viper]

That play he made on the potential two-on-one along the boards was unbelievable. If he plays that anything less than perfectly it probably ends up in our net. For whatever reason Stralman just seems so relaxed in the playoffs. Did he rack up a lot of playoff experience playing in Europe?

I think the fact that he is very comfortable with the puck on his stick and in this system with the forwards back-checking so hard are the reasons he looks so calm. He lets the play develop and does not panic.

 

[Vickers8]

He kept hitting Ovechkin. Even when he wasn't hitting him, he kept making Ovechkin lose the puck. All that and his other nice defensive and offensive plays; even though Girardi got us the PP goal, I still consider Stralman one of the stars of the game.

I thought he was our best player

 

[Bluenote13]

I'm probably alone in this, but I think Stralman has been good, but not great in this series. He's made a handful of really questionable plays and his weak clearing attempts have kept us pinned in our zone quite a bit.

Again, overall he's been good, but not great. Just my 2 cents.

You are talkin 2 maybe 3 times he didn't clear the zone in 4 games. He also skated through the crease with the puck on a giveaway, yet, he recovers maybe better than anyone on the backline. That's why I have no problems with the occasional gaffe. Other Dmen playing more minutes on our side have had bigger problems with this.

Not a physical brute but man has he been aggressive, good at taking away time and space from the Caps forwards.

 

[Trxjw]

You are talkin 2 maybe 3 times he didn't clear the zone in 4 games. He also skated through the crease with the puck on a giveaway, yet, he recovers maybe better than anyone on the backline. That's why I have no problems with the occasional gaffe. Other Dmen playing more minutes on our side have had bigger problems with this.

Not a physical brute but man has he been aggressive, good at taking away time and space from the Caps forwards.

It's been more than 2 or 3 times. He's had plenty of opportunities to get the puck out of the zone on a long shift, and instead of dumping it out, he's tried to make a weak rim-pass around the boards to the far wing that results in the winger getting pinned with the puck because the defender can close on him before the puck arrives. At that point, I'd rather see him ice the thing than fail to clear.

But again, I'm not saying the guy has been bad. I think his play has been quite good overall and that, along with his physicality, has more than made up for the mistakes he's made, but the mistakes are what prevents me from saying "great" in the series.

 

[MisterUnspoken]

It's great to have six capable defensemen

 

[Bluenote13]

TRX, I think you are exaggerating the truth a bit. How many times has he made those mistakes? 10 12? If that were the case we'd be taring him apart, not praising his overall game